Prospect with Intent

With all of the “safer at home” orders these days, I know it doesn’t feel like a regular Spring market, but it is here, and I don’t want you to miss the opportunities that exist in this market. Now is the time to focus getting listings. Most markets have low inventory and if you get a new listing in a good price point, it will likely sell in days. Most of you are thinking: “How can I prospect when I can’t do open houses, I can’t door knock, I can’t go to social events and I don’t have money to invest in online leads?”

Some agents are turning back to a prospecting method that worked years ago…they are hitting the phones. With most people working from home these days, many homeowners are receptive to taking phone calls and they welcome a conversation about something other than home schooling. As many agents return to phone prospecting as their main source of driving leads, it is important that you do it thoughtfully to increase your success. You can call people until your ears fall off, but if you don’t say the right things, you won’t book appointments.

Your calls must be conversational, but have INTENT.

Many of the scripts you would use in a normal market won’t work during this market – they would come across as insensitive. Many homeowners are understandably anxious about the market right now. Their immediate reaction when you ask them if they want to sell is to say “no”. But a true salesperson is never defeated by the first no. Most agents give up too soon. A true pro asks the right questions to move the conversation forward.

Asking the right questions allows the homeowner to consider the possibility of moving risk-free. A great question is: “Now that you’ve been stuck at home for the past few months, if there was something you could change about your house, what would it be?” Then ask: “If you could make a move to a house that had ___, would you be interested?”

When you do uncover someone who may entertain the idea of a move, you need to be able to explain WHY it is a good time to sell:

• Inventory is low
• Prices are holding steady
• Mortgage interest rates are at an all-time low

First you need to CREATE CURIOSITY by asking the right questions, then you need to CREATE TRUST by explaining all of the reasons why it would be wise to move now, then you need to CREATE URGENCY by letting them know if they wait, they could miss an opportunity. Typically, the question you would ask to create urgency is “If you knew by waiting you could lose money, would you still want to wait?” There are several reasons why this could happen:

• As the market recovers, interest rates will increase
• As the election draws closer, everyone will postpone
• If we move into a recession, house prices will drop
• If we move into a recession, financing gets challenging
• If there is a second wave, it will hurt the market overall

I can guarantee you that someone in your neighborhood is thinking about selling, but they haven’t contacted an agent yet. It is your job to uncover those opportunities. I challenge you to have your real estate radar up in every conversation you have with people. When you check out at the grocery store, ask the clerk if they know anyone who is thinking about buying or selling. When you get gas, ask the attendant if they are thinking about buying or selling. You would be surprised how many people you come into contact with every day who may consider buying or selling. The trick is to quickly maneuver the conversation from “Hello, how are you?” to “Do you know anyone who is considering a move right now?” If you approach every conversation with INTENT, you will generate opportunities.

Listings are your best prospecting tool.

They give you a reason to phone everyone in the neighborhood to let them know about the listing, ask if they know anyone who would like to live in the neighborhood, and let them know your listing has generated a lot of buyer interest so if they are interested in selling, now would be the perfect time. A new listing generates leads through sign calls, ad calls, just listed postcards and circle prospecting the neighbors. One listing leads to the next, and so on.

There couldn’t be a better time to prospect for listings. Most people are at home with time on their hands and would welcome a phone call. After being stuck in the house for the past few months, most people are frustrated with something about their house. Your job is to connect with people, uncover their pain points, let them know you can solve their problem and see if they would be willing to meet RISK-FREE to explore the opportunity.

It is not about the activity, it is about the results.

The last thing I want to say about prospecting is that you need to focus on the end goal. The goal is not to make 100 calls. The goal is to book appointments. The fewer calls it takes to book an appointment, the better you’ve done. Remember, you don’t get paid to make calls. You get paid to book appointments.

Chris Leader
President
Leader’s Edge Training